Social media giant Twitter has announced a new feature it hopes will help to end the hateful or abusive remarks some users receive.
It comes after stars on Love Island and players participating in the Euro 2020 championships received horrible comments from trolls on the platform.
But they are not the only people to be affected as lots have been victim to abusive or hateful remarks on Twitter.
Now, the technology company has announced a new "Safety Mode" feature it hopes will end this sort of conduct.
So, what exactly is Safety Mode, how does it work and what has Twitter said about it? We’ll tell you everything we know.
What is Safety Mode on Twitter?
In short, the Safety Mode feature on Twitter stops people from sending you abusive, hateful or unwanted replies or mentions by identifying those using language that’s potentially harmful.
If it spots this conduct, the account will be blocked from sending you any messages, including mentions, replies or Direct Messages, for seven days.
Don’t worry, though, about regular accounts you interact with getting blocked, as Twitter ensures the technology will consider this to prevent that happening.
Nonetheless, if it does accidentally block someone, you will be able to view the accounts that have been blocked and be able to unblock them.
How does Safety Mode on Twitter work?
So far, the technology is only available to a handful of users, as part of what the company calls a ‘feedback group’ on iOS, Android and the main Twitter website. The people included are those from marginalised communities and female journalists.
For those who are able to access the feature, users can turn on Safety Mode through the Privacy and Safety section of their Settings page.
When you do so, Twitter will take a look at the messages you’re being sent from a particular user and your relationship with them and decide whether or not to block the account.
Those people who send messages deemed unwanted or harmful, will be automatically blocked by the system. That means they will be unable to interact with you across the platform for one week.
What has Twitter said about the Safety Mode feature?
Jarrod Doherty, Twitter’s senior product manager, said in a blog post that the company wanted its users to engage in ‘healthy conversations’.
He wrote: “We want you to enjoy healthy conversations, so this test is one way we're limiting overwhelming and unwelcome interactions that can interrupt those conversations.
“Our goal is to better protect the individual on the receiving end of Tweets by reducing the prevalence and visibility of harmful remarks.”
He added: “We’ll observe how Safety Mode is working and incorporate improvements and adjustments before bringing it to everyone on Twitter.”
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